Muslim festivals and commemorations in Great Britain

Remembering faith together

Muslim festivals connect religious beliefs with shared activities: prayer, meals, visits and giving to others. They allow individuals to express gratitude to Allah while strengthening the ummah, the worldwide Muslim community. A commemoration can have a different mood: remembering suffering may involve grief rather than celebration.

Two major festivals, Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Adha, are celebrated by both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. Ashura is observed in different ways, with particular importance for Shi’a Muslims. These differences show how beliefs influence religious practice.

Id-ul-Fitr: gratitude after Ramadan

Id-ul-Fitr means ‘festival of breaking the fast’. It marks the end of Ramadan, the month during which Muslims practise sawm, or fasting. Its connection with Ramadan gives it its meaning: Muslims thank Allah for the strength to complete the fast and for the guidance of the Qur’an, whose revelation is remembered during Ramadan.

The festival celebrates the completion of a demanding period of self-control, prayer and devotion. It is not simply a return to eating normally. Muslims are encouraged to carry the generosity and discipline developed during Ramadan into everyday life.

The beginning of the festival is linked to the sighting of the new moon. In Great Britain, cloudy conditions can make sighting difficult, so communities may rely on reports from elsewhere. Celebrations may last between one and three days.

Muslims gather for special prayers in a mosque or a large outdoor space. A sermon may encourage forgiveness and the settling of disputes. Families wear their best clothes, share special food, visit relatives and exchange cards or presents. Children often receive gifts, and some Muslims visit cemeteries to remember loved ones. The greeting ‘Id Mubarak’ expresses wishes for a blessed festival.

An important religious practice is Zakat-ul-Fitr, charitable giving before the festival prayer. This helps people living in poverty enjoy food during the festival. Its purpose connects the celebration with responsibility: gratitude to Allah should include care for people who have less. It is distinct from the regular obligation of zakah.

Id-ul-Adha: obedience and sacrifice

Id-ul-Adha means ‘Festival of Sacrifice’. It marks the end of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah, and allows Muslims who have not made the pilgrimage to share in worship and celebration. It lasts for four days.

Its origin is the account of Ibrahim, who understood a dream as Allah’s command to sacrifice his son, traditionally identified by Muslims as Isma’il. Ibrahim told his son about the dream, and Isma’il agreed that he should obey. Qur’an 37:102 records the son’s response: ‘O my father, do as you are commanded.’ Before the sacrifice took place, Allah intervened, and a ram was sacrificed instead.

The account expresses trust and obedience. Ibrahim was willing to surrender something deeply precious to him, while Isma’il also accepted Allah’s command. Muslims remember this as a test of devotion rather than a demand that they sacrifice their children.

The festival begins with communal prayers and a sermon about sacrifice and obedience to Allah. Families meet, share meals and exchange gifts. An animal, such as a sheep or goat, may be sacrificed, with the meat divided into three portions: one for the household, one for relatives or neighbours, and one for people in need. In Great Britain, Muslims can arrange the sacrifice through a butcher or an organisation that uses lawful slaughter arrangements.

The central point is not the animal’s death itself. Qur’an 22:37 teaches that the meat does not reach God, but the worshipper’s piety does. The outward act should express sincere devotion. Sharing the meat also turns remembrance into kindness: Muslims honour Ibrahim’s obedience while supporting others.

Ashura: why Sunni and Shi’a observances differ

Ashura has more than one religious meaning. For many Sunni Muslims, it recalls Musa, known as Moses, and the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt. Allah enabled them to escape Pharaoh by parting the sea, and Musa fasted in gratitude.

Muhammad encouraged fasting on Ashura. Once fasting during Ramadan became obligatory, fasting on Ashura became voluntary. Many Sunni Muslims therefore observe it through fasting, prayer and kindness to family members and people in need. Fasting is also associated with seeking forgiveness for the previous year’s sins.

For Shi’a Muslims, Ashura is especially a solemn commemoration of Husayn, Muhammad’s grandson and Ali’s son. Husayn and his small group of followers faced the forces of the Umayyad ruler at Karbala in Iraq, in a conflict over leadership of the Muslim community. Husayn and his male followers were killed.

Husayn’s death has particular significance because of the Shi’a belief in the Imamate: imams are divinely appointed spiritual successors to Muhammad. Husayn was one of these imams. Remembering his death therefore means mourning not only a member of the Prophet’s family but also a revered religious leader.

His suffering represents resistance to injustice and recalls persecution experienced by Shi’a communities. Sunni Muslims may also mourn the loss of life within Muhammad’s family, but generally do not place the same emphasis on Husayn’s role as an imam.

Mourning expressed through action

For Shi’a Muslims, the ten days leading up to Ashura are a period of mourning. Observances can include wearing black, public processions, prayers, poems and re-enactments of the events at Karbala. These activities pass the story to younger generations and express shared grief. Processions can also become statements against injustice.

Some Shi’a Muslims use physical acts of mourning to identify with Husayn’s suffering. Practices involving self-harm are disputed: some religious leaders condemn them because people should not damage the body God has given them. In Great Britain, some leaders encourage blood donation instead, turning remembrance of suffering into an action that helps save lives.

Mosques may provide free food during the mourning period, and Muslims may gather to hear scholars explain the religious lessons of Ashura. Mourning can therefore lead to generosity and moral reflection, not only sadness.

Importance for Muslims in Great Britain today

These observances help Muslims practise and maintain their faith within Britain’s religiously diverse society. Communal prayers and gatherings make belonging visible: individuals worship alongside others who share their beliefs, while families teach children the stories and values behind each occasion.

They also strengthen relationships. Id-ul-Fitr encourages forgiveness and family visits; Id-ul-Adha brings relatives and neighbours together through shared food. Ashura gatherings connect Shi’a communities through remembrance of Husayn and reflection on justice.

Their influence extends beyond the Muslim community. Zakat-ul-Fitr, the distribution of sacrificial meat, free meals and blood donation can benefit people in need. Some Eid celebrations welcome people of other faiths, creating opportunities for understanding between neighbours.

Customs vary between families and communities, but the religious connections remain central: Id-ul-Fitr expresses gratitude, Id-ul-Adha expresses obedience and generosity, and Shi’a Ashura expresses remembrance and resistance to injustice.

Id-ul-Fitr

• Meaning: festival of breaking the fast; marks the end of Ramadan.
• Importance: gratitude for completing sawm and for Allah’s guidance through the Qur’an.
• Practices: communal prayers, family visits, shared meals, gifts and forgiveness.
• Charity: Zakat-ul-Fitr before the festival prayer helps poor people join the celebration.

Id-ul-Adha

• Meaning: Festival of Sacrifice; marks the end of Hajj.
• Origin: Ibrahim and Isma’il accepted Allah’s command; a ram replaced the son as the sacrifice.
• Practices: communal prayers, family meals and sharing sacrificial meat with relatives, neighbours and the poor.
• Teaching: Qur’an 37:102 — obedience; Qur’an 22:37 — piety matters, not the meat itself.

Ashura: contrasting meanings

• Sunni: remembers Musa and the Israelites’ escape from Egypt; voluntary fasting expresses gratitude and seeks forgiveness.
• Shi’a: mourns Husayn’s death at Karbala. His status as an imam makes this especially significant.
• Shi’a practices: black clothing, processions, poems, re-enactments and prayer; remembrance encourages resistance to injustice.
• Variation: some practise physical mourning; some leaders condemn self-harm and encourage blood donation instead.

Importance in Great Britain

Shared worship strengthens faith and the ummah; family observances pass beliefs to children. Charity supports people in need, while open celebrations can build understanding between communities.